Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-19
FATAL FIRE.
Two Buffalo Hotels De-
strOyed.
SEVERAL PEOPLE KILLED.
Narrow Escapes-A Number of Per-
sons Lose Fortunes in the
Buildings.

Buildings.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD
BUFFALO, March lS.-The Richmond
Hotel and st. James Hotel, situated a,
the corner of Main aud Eage streets, ex
tending through to Washington street,
were burned at $3.50 this morning. At
o'clock the entire Richmond Hotel, the
st. James Hall, and all other property
in the block was doomed to speedy des.
traction. The whole place burned like
tinder. The corridors in the center Of
the building, acted as a great funnel.
The flames streamed upward, and the
guests found themselves imprisoned by
walls of fire. There were l25 persons in
the burned Richmond Hotel, seventy OF
whom were transient guests. eight
boarders, and the remainder porters,
bell boys, families of proprietors and
clerks. Twenty-Five of these were res
cued from the windows by the fremen.
Twenty two are at the hospitals, and q
large number made their escape by other
means. The spread of the flames was
trightful in its rapidity. The elevator
shaft served as fue for the flames and
the whole structure was enveloped in a
few minutes. As the guests were
aroused and saw the Interior exit cut off,
they turned to the windows. They
could be seen standing out clear and
vivid before the lurid background of
flame. Their screams could be heard
for blocks. The firemen did noble
work and confined the fire to the narrow
limits of the three buildings named.
Their work of rescue had many exciting
incidents, The telegraph wires were, as
usual, in the way of the ladder brigade,
and much valuable time was lost in get.
ting the ladders past them.
Five girls, who roomed on the fifth
floor, made rope out of bed clothes and
hung it out Of window; but none
seemed to have the courage to start.
AT last one of the five took hold and
from which she was rescued. Three
others came down in the same manner,
and then the fifth girl started down.
She had gone but little distance when
the rope parted aud down she went four
stories. Strange to say, she was not
killed. Her legs were terribly bruised,
her back badly injured, and her face and
arms were found in frightful
condition from the burns she had re-
ceived in the room. Mark Osborne, the
day clerk and assistant manager of the
hotel, is missing. 1t is believed that he
perished. VIM. A. Haven, Of Helena,
Montana, was burned about the hands,
feet and face and is suffering from the
shocks He is the Chief Engineer of
the Northern Pacific railroad. Four are
dead among those who jumped from the
building; these are VIM. Purcell, bro.
ker of this city, an unknown man and
two unknown women. Whitaker, one
of the lessees Of the hotel, reports that
a large amount of diamonds were in the
hotel last night. B. Robinson, of Lam.
bert & Co., had stock, valued at $5O,.
900, deposited in the safe. A Mr..
Adler had in his room $4,000 worth
and a Mr.. Smith also had considerable,
though unknown, amount of stock.
As far as can be ascertained, the dead
are as follows: Katie Kent, Minnie
Kelly and Katie Pearce, servants; Will.
son Purcell; Mark Osborne, day clerk at
the hotel; Mr.. johnson, Toronto rail.
way man; Kate Wolf, servant, of Lock-
port. The dying are: Jacob Kahn and
Henry Rumsey, of New York; Maggie
Mulrach and Mary Nolan, of Buffalo,
and Edward Wheelan, of Newburgh.
The others who were seriously burned
or injured are as follows: 1. H. French,
Scranton, Pa; F. M. Moore, Cleveland,
O.; w. Haren, Helena, Mont; G. w. Du.
bois, Syracuse; w. j. Mann, Mrs. Mann,
Jennie Mann, Buffalo; Mills Barse, Olean,
N. Y; Mat Shannon, Charles Clinton,
Bodwell; Minnie Wollers, Mrs. Katie
Pearce, Nellie Welch, Nellie Harvey, all
of Buffalo; Barry Davies, George f.
Michaels, both Of New York, and w.
J. Mackay, Niagara Falls. A servant
girl named Walsh is believed also to be
among the dead. The walls of the
burned building are a menace to life,
and until they are razed and the ruins
cooled no search for bodies can be made.
1t is undoubtedly fact that at least
thirty persons porished. The total loss
is $40O, 600 on the hotel and museum
buildings, which were insured for $780,
900. Fuller & Townsend, clothiers, were
insured for S45, 600; their stock was a
total loss and valued at 100000. Peter
Paul & Bro, and ALBRIGHT h Kingley,
stationers, each lose $40. 600, with $780,
600 insurancss. Several minor losses
were sustained.
ROCHESTER,, March l8.-Several of the
survivors of the hotel fire at Buffalo are in
this CITY. Winfield S. Dewey was quite Sc
riously burned about the facs and head.
His hair was all burned off and his right
foot was badly burned. He had room
on the second floor aud was awakened by
the bell ringing. He attempted to es.
cape by the hall, but was driven back by
the flames, He was rescued from hi.
window by firemen. Max Dahlman
olothier, escaped by jumping two storie,
on to an adjoining building. w. P
Lamb, an insurance sdjuster, narrowly
escaped with his life. He was taker
from fire escape.
A Widow and Orphan Fund.